Will we cling to of the thrill of acceleration, rush of adrenaline, and roar of a petrol engine? Are we losing our emotional connection to the car?
Mate Rimac
THE NEXT BILLION CARS Episode 3: The Next Billion Volts
Tesla drove electric vehicles from impractical to inevitable. Powertrains will soon feature a mix of hydrocarbons, hydrogen – and batteries.
Co-host Sally Dominguez toured China in a hydrogen-fueled Mercedes:
![](https://i0.wp.com/nextbillionseconds.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/car_big.jpg?resize=840%2C559&ssl=1)
![](https://i0.wp.com/nextbillionseconds.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/clown_cars.jpg?resize=592%2C395&ssl=1)
The history of the automobile isn’t exactly the history of petrol – even if that’s what Carl Benz used in his internal combustion engine, there have always been lots of alternatives, including the Stanley ‘Steamer’:
![](https://i0.wp.com/nextbillionseconds.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Stanley_steam_car_Stephen-Foskett.jpg?resize=840%2C734&ssl=1)
The London Electrobus Company pioneered electric public transport over a hundred years ago – promoting itself as the cleaner alternative on London’s dirty streets:
![](https://i0.wp.com/nextbillionseconds.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/LondonElectrobus.jpg?resize=592%2C399&ssl=1)
Automobiles can even run on compressed air, as in the TATA/MDI OneCat:
![](https://i0.wp.com/nextbillionseconds.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Catvertroquette_Deepack_Gupta.jpg?resize=840%2C630&ssl=1)
Special correspondent Drew Smith talks to automotive design legend Mate Rimac about what it takes to design electric automobiles.
![](https://i0.wp.com/nextbillionseconds.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Rimac_by_El_monty.jpg?resize=840%2C665&ssl=1)
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